Automatic depletion indicating support for containers



I Dec. 25, 1951 NELSON 2,580,041

AUTOMATIC DEPLETION INDICATING SUPPORT FOR CONTAINERS Filed Dec. 10, 1947 3nnentor 1 20 Allan la/veilsarz 6 J uttorneg a Patented Dec. 25, 1951 TENT orrics AUTOMATIC DEPLETION INDICATING SUPPGRT FOR CONTAINERS Allan K. Neils'on, Highland Park, Mich.

Application December 10, 1947,- Serial No. 790,883

12 Claims. (01. 248-146) ticularly containers adapted to automatically vary their positions responsive to a predetermined depletion of their contents, for indicating necessity of repletion. More specifically the invention relates to containers for machine parts or other stocks of merchandise and to provisions for automatically indicating a need for replenishing such stocks.

An object of the invention is to pivotally mount a container in a manner affording it a limited forward and back swinging travel and gravitationally biasing it to a rearward limit of such travel; to impose a force on such container in Opposition to said gravitational bias, such force being increasingly effective to swing the container forwardly as said bias is reduced by removal of material from the container; and to provide a detent tending to maintain the rearward limiting position of the -container, but yieldable when the gravitational bias is predeterminedly exceeded by said opposing force.

Another object is to selectively regulate a force applying the detent to the container and to thereby regulate the amount of depletion in the container requisite to release the detent.

Another object is to oppose the gravitational bias of the container by a coiled spring and to urge said detent to its effective position by another coiled spring.

Another object is to adapt the container to be slidingly adjusted on an elongated supporting bar, together with the aforementioned provision for automatically indicating depletion.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a container and an associated mechanism for indicating depletion.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

In these views, the reference character I desig- 'nates an open-topped container preferably sheet metal, and of rectangular form. This container receives merchandise '(not shown) and is primarily intended for use in a stock room to receive machinery parts or the like for which there is an intermittent demand. When material in the container becomes predeterminedly depleted, it is desirable to call attention of a stock clerk or other attendant to this condition so that the container may be refilled, and the invention is 2 designed to indicate a predetermined depletion by an automatic shifting of the container from its normal position. Thus the container is pivoted for forward and back swinging upon the upwardly projecting flange 2a of an elongated horizontal angle bar 2 by a pair ofv hangers 3, respectively in proximity to the respective sides of the container on its upper rear portion and projecting rearwardly from the container to seat upon and hook over said flange. Preferably the hangers 3 are formed as sheet metal stampings and are welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the container. The bar 2 may be incorporated in a stand or rack (not shown) and may carry any desired number of other similar containers.

Since the hangers 3 are considerably rearward oi the center of gravity of the container, the latter is gravitationally biased to its lowermost limiting position illustrated in full linesin Fig. 2, and such position is maintained except during intervals when material in the container is abnormally depleted. The bar 2 occupies a tilted position so that its flange 2a affords clearance for intended swinging travel of the container. A coiled spring t exerts a forward thrust on the container adequate to overcome the aforementioned gravitational bias of the container and its contents when the latter are predeterminedly depleted, and the rearwall of the container. is outwardly embossed at 5 in proximity to the container bottom and midway between the sides to form ananchorage for the forward end of said spring. The rear end of said spring abuts against a downwardly projecting leg 5 of an angular bracket 1, and a forwardly projecting leg 8 of such bracket is upwardly clamped against a flange 2b rearwardly projecting on the bar 2, and has its forward end 8a upturned against the flange 2a of said bar. The end 8a provides an abutment engageable by the container in its lowermost limiting position and also assures proper positioning of the bracket 1 on the bar 2. A button 9 riveted to the lower portion of the leg '6 serves as ananchorage for the described spring. For clamping the bracket! in place, a clamping plate ill bears downwardly on the rear portion of the flange 2b, the rear portion of such plate being downturned at I I to seat on the bracket 7!, and a bolt l2 and companion nut 83 interconnect the bracket and plate rearwardly of the bar 2, rigidly mounting the bracket on the bar 2.

To derive the desired indicating value from upward tilting of the container, such tilting should be an abrupt rather than a gradual motion and .3 should result from a definite and selective depletion of the container contents. This result is obtained by employing a detent to yieldably resist the discussed tilting, such detent acting on the container under a regulable force. The illustrated detent is a plunger l4 downwardly urged by a coiled spring [5 to normally seat the rounded lower end of said plunger in a shallow socket 16 formed in a plate ll rigidly projecting rearwardly from the container and preferably secured to the container bottom by rivets l8. Said plunger and its surrounding coiled spring occupy a cylindrical casing I9, from which the plunger projects downwardly, an abutment 20 for the spring being fixed on the plunger within the lower portion of the casing. The upper end of the spring abuts a head 2| threaded into the upper end of the casing and hence adjustable to regulate the spring compression. The head 2| projects sufficiently above the casing to afiord ready access to a squared adjusting end 22 surmounting said head.

The casing I9 is mounted on the bar 2, being attached to the latter preferably by the same means which attaches the bracket 1. Thus said casing is formed on its upper portion with a laterally projecting lug 23 which engages between the bracket 1 and clamping plate l0 and is apertured to receive the bolt l2. Said lug is of the same thickness as the flange 21) so that the lug and said flange will jointly receive the clamping stress set up by tightening the nut l3. However, the bolt l2 will hold said lug in place and it cannot turn due to engagement with the fiange 2b, so that it requires little if any clamping stress. The rear end portion of the plate I] is upturned to engage the plunger [4 upon forward tilting of the container by the spring 4, such tilting being thus limited to establish the dash line position appearing in Fig. 2.

Discussing now the operation of the described indicator, it will be understood that the gravitational bias of the container and its contents normally materially exceeds the forward thrust exerted by the spring 4, and hence normally maintains the rearward limit of swinging travel of the container. When, however, material in the container approaches a predetermined minimum, the corresponding reduction of said bias tends to produce a progressive advance of the container to its forward limit, responsive to the spring 4. The plunger I4, spring-pressed into the socket l6, retards response of the container to the spring 4 until the force of said spring suificiently exceeds the gravitational bias to induce a full forward swing of the container. It is important to note in this connection that the socket and coacting end portion of the container are rounded, so that at least a component of the forward thrust acting on the container tends to release the detent. Regulation of the spring 15 by means of the adjusting head 2| is important in assuring a release of the detent responsive to a certain desired depletion of the container. Various factors will determine the proper adjustment of the detentseating spring, as for example the weight of the particular materials stored in the container, the time rate at which depletion occurs, and the time interval usually involved in effecting refilling.

The described indicator greatly facilitates the maintenance of a proper stock and effects an important saving in the time heretofore required for inspection of stocks.

A material advantage lies in the fact that the indicator does not interfere with location of the container at any desired point along the bar 2. Thus a plurality of said containers may be disposed in any desired relative proximity, depending on their size and number.

It is a further decided advantage that the spring 4 may be weak enough to take effect only when the permissible limit of depletion is reached. Thi permits said spring to be smaller and less expensive than would otherwise be feasible, and also assures that the detent will not prematurely release due to any shocks or jars imposed on the container through removal or replacement of material.

What I claim is:

1. In a depletion indicating mechanism for containers, the combination with a container having in its upper portion an opening for inserting and removing material, of means pivotally mounting the container in a horizontally ofifset relation to its center of gravity, whereby the container is gravitationally biased toward a. downwardly tilted position, means imposing a force on the container predeterminedly less than the gravitational bias of the container and its maximum contents and opposing such bias, whereby the container tends to swing upwardly on its pivotal mounting, responsive to said force, on removal of a predetermined portion of its contents, and a detent resisting actuation of the container by said force, and yieldable to said force upon a predetermined depletion of material in the container.

2. In a depletion indicating mechanism for containers, as set forth in claim 1, means for regulating the amount of resistance applied by said detent.

3. In a depletion indicating mechanism for containers as set forth in claim 1, a spring applying said detent to the container, and means for regulating the stress of such spring.

4. A depletion indicating mechanism for containers as set forth in claim 1, said pivot means comprising a downwardly hooked member fixed upon and projecting exteriorly from the upper portion of the container.

5. A depletion indicating mechanism for containers as set forth in claim 1, said means imposing a force on the container being a spring taking effect on a wall of the container.

6. In a depletion indicating mechanism for containers as set forth in claim 1, said means pivotally mounting the container including a sub stantially horizontal bar, and said container, force-imposing means, and detent forming a unit slidingly adjustable longitudinally of such bar.

'7. In a depletion indicating mechanism for containers as set forth in claim 1, an element on the container through which said detent takes effect on the container, said element having a portion for engaging the detent to limit swinging of the container responsive to said force-imposing means.

8. In a depletion indicating mechanism for containers as set forth in claim 1, said means imposing a force on the container being a spring taking effect on a wall of the container, and said means pivotally mounting the container including a substantially horizontal bar, an abutment for said spring, a mounting for said detent, and a common means for clamping said abutment and mounting on said bar.

9. In a depletion indicating mechanism for containers as set forth in claim 1, an element projecting from the lower portion of the container and socketed to receive a detent, said ele inent having a portion engageable with the detent to limit the container response to said forceimposing means.

10. In a depletion indicating mechaism for containers as set forth in claim 1, said means imposing a force on the container being a spring taking eifect on a wall of the container, and said means pivotally mounting the container including a substantially horizontal bar, a member rigidly mounted on and downwardly projecting from said bar and forming an abutment for said spring.

11. In a depletion indicating mechanism for containers, the combination with a container having in its upper portion an opening for inserting and removing material, a substantially horizontal bar forming a support for the container, means carried by the upper portion of the container and horizontally offset from the center of gravity of the container for pivoting the container on said bar, whereby the container is gravitationally biased toward a downwardly tilted position, and abutment member downwardly projecting from said bar, a spring compressed between said abutment member and the container and opposing said gravitational bias with a force such as to exceed said bias when the contents of the container are predeterminedly depleted, a detent efiective on the container to resist its response to said spring, a spring applying the detent to the container and affording a release of the detent upon a predetermined depletion of the container contents, and means for regulating the stress of the detent-applying spring.

12. In a. depletion indicating mechanism, the combination with a container having in its upper portion an opening for inserting and removing material, a support for the container, means for pivoting the container on the support in a laterally offset relation to the center of gravity of the container, a bracket fixed on the support and having a downwardly projecting leg, a spring compressed between said leg and the container and urging the container about its pivot toward a raised position, said spring being effective only upon a predetermined depletion of the container contents, and a detent carried by said support and opposing a predetermined resistance to actuation of the container by the spring.

ALLAN K. NEILSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 103,540 Armstrong May 31, 1870 692,434 Elliott Feb. 4, 1902 1,087,958 Leavitt Feb. 24, 1914 1,088,232 Leavitt Feb. 24, 1914 1,509,623 Voyt Sept. 23, 1924 1,552,939 Mackey Sept. 8, 1925 2,162,031 Reavill June 13, 1939 2,330,857 Alcott Oct. 5, 1943 

